Quality of Semen after Repeated Ejaculation Treatment in Spinal Cord Injured Men

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The study was designed to document the effects of regular drainage after penile vibrator stimulation on the quality of semen in spinal cord injured (SCI) men. METHOD: Three tetraplegics and eight paraplegics, aging from 20 to 39 years with neurological levels of C7 to L4 were examined between 1 and 11 years after injury (mean; 4 years 11 months). None had ejaculated after the injury. Eleven responders to penile vibrator stimulation (PVS) were prospectively examined. We used a vibrator (POWER MASSAGER ) with a frequency of 100 Hz and an amplitude of about 2.0 mm. Stimulations were performed mostly 2~3 times per week. Semen quality was characterized by semen analysis every visits. We compared baseline values with the values of post-treatment 1~3 months. RESULTS: The percentage of motile sperm and the total count of motile sperm per ejaculate were low but increased substantially with treatment. CONCLUSION: We concluded that repeated ejaculation treatment, for at least 1 month, using the vibrator technique improves semen quality in SCI men who have not ejaculated earlier after injury.